David Eblen, 1964-2006 Dave was born April 9, 1964, in Columbia, a son of David S. and Jane Ann Pilley Eblen. He graduated from high school in Branson. Dave played four years for his beloved Branson Pirate football team and was feared throughout the Ozarks for delivering a ferocious hit. He was a two-time first-team all-conference defensive back for the Pirates. He never spoke of his individual awards but instead focused on team achievements, a trait that followed him throughout his life. He also lettered four years in track running the most grueling of races, the 400- and 800-meter dashes. He routinely broke two minutes in the latter, the mark of a true tracksman. He was also an outstanding student and citizen at Branson High. Dave then graduated with honors from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in 1986. While at MU, he was a member of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, where he forged strong friendships that endured for the rest of his life. He later freely dedicated hundreds of hours of his time in his capacity as chapter advisor, selflessly giving back to the fraternity that he held so dear. He received his juris doctorate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1989. While still in law school, Dave showed his mettle by trying seven jury trials, a feat unheard of for a law student. These trials fostered Dave’s love of trial-room competition, and he continued to successfully litigate for his entire career. He practiced law in Kansas City for several years before coming to Columbia, where he served as assistant prosecutor for Boone County from 1994 to 1996. He joined Eng & Woods in September 1996, where he was later made partner. Dave always considered his return to Columbia a return to home. He was never more happy than when he was among his friends on the golf course, at Mizzou tailgates or at Shiloh. When he did venture from Boone County, his destinations of choice were epic, including a Yosemite summit of rugged Mount Hoffman, wading the waters of the Canadian wilderness in hunt of big fish and trekking the backcountry of Glacier National Park in the heart of grizzly country. In all of these disparate places under extreme conditions, Dave once again showed his mettle. It is not possible to describe what Dave meant to those he touched, for Dave had the singular gift of giving to each person he met exactly what that person needed at that very moment. Typically, what Dave gave was the heartiest of laughs to lighten the heart. It is his broad perspective on life, his gift of joy-giving to others, that we will miss most.